Commentary on the Central-South Military Region’s Directive Regarding the Transition from Democratic Inspection to the Investigation and Prosecution of Corruption (January 27, 1952) To the Major Military Regions and the Chinese People’s Volunteers: The document issued by the Central-South Military Region on January 25 [1] is very good; it is being circulated for your reference. Because the Three-Anti Campaign in the Central-South started relatively late, units that have not yet completed both the democratic-inspection phase and the phase targeting minor and medium-scale corruption must finish these stages before proceeding to the second phase—“hunting tigers.” The same applies to all major military regions and the Chinese People’s Volunteers. However, any unit that has already completed the first two phases should immediately reorganize its forces and launch the “tiger-hunting” campaign. At the latest, by February 10 or 15, all lagging units throughout the armed forces must enter the tiger-hunting phase. The seven lines of suspicion for identifying major corrupt officials outlined in the Central-South document are applicable to both the military and local administrative systems. Issued by Mao Zedong on January 27, based on a manuscript copy.

Refers to the directive of the CPC Central-South Military Region Committee dated January 25, 1952, concerning the transition of the Three-Anti Campaign to the investigation and prosecution of corruption. The main points are as follows:

First, units that have conducted their democratic inspections to combat extravagance, waste, and bureaucracy relatively thoroughly should immediately move on to combating corruption; those whose democratic inspections remain incomplete must complete them within a specified time limit and then proceed to the anti-corruption phase.

Second, all corrupt elements, large and small, must be rounded up without exception, with particular vigilance directed toward major corrupt officials, who constitute the primary target of the anti-corruption struggle.

Third, there are seven lines of suspicion to guide the identification of major corrupt individuals: (1) extravagant living and decadent behavior, with an unclear source of funds; (2) business dealings with merchants that go beyond the normal scope, involving undue gifts or reciprocal exchanges; (3) issuing passports, passes, military uniforms, and sidearms to merchants, allowing them to move freely among various markets and engage in fraudulent activities; (4) purchasing inferior goods at inflated prices, adulteration, underweighing, shoddy workmanship, advance payments with delayed deliveries, failure to pursue outstanding debts, and unreasonable claims of losses or fraud; (5) investing in private shops or extending loans to them, as well as depositing money in private banks to earn interest; (6) unclear accounting records, fabrication of false accounts, alteration of records, and unauthorized burning of ledgers and documents without the approval of responsible officials; (7) using public funds or official vehicles to facilitate business ventures for one’s relatives.